10 Things Directors Wish Producers Knew About Storyboards
After 20 years drawing boards for Netflix, Google, Nike, Dyson and a long list of UK agencies, the same ten misunderstandings keep coming up. Knowing these saves your director, your artist and your shoot day.
1. Frames are not 1:1 with shots
One frame can represent two or three shots if the camera move is simple, and one shot might need three frames if there's complex action inside it. Don't budget by counting cameras.
2. The first version is not the final version
Even a senior storyboard artist makes major changes between V1 and V2. That's the point. If V1 looks like the finished film, your director hasn't pushed back enough.
3. Loose sketches are usually the most useful
A polished colour render looks great in a deck — but on shoot day, a loose pencil sketch with bold composition is often easier for a DOP to read and re-block from.
4. Storyboards aren't a contract
The board describes intent, not obligation. A director who slavishly recreates the board on set has often missed something better that the location, weather or actor offered.
5. Two rounds of revisions is the industry norm
Plan for it. Build it into the budget. If you only allow one round, you'll be paying out of pocket for the third "small tweak."
6. Send reference, not feedback
"Make it more dynamic" is hard. "Like the diner shot in Heat" is actionable. Reference images and clips beat adjectives every time.
7. The director should be in the same room as the artist (virtually counts)
30 minutes on a call with the director, mid-board, will save 6 hours of revisions later. The producer relaying notes is always a downgrade.
8. Animatics are cheap insurance
If timing matters at all — comedy, music sync, complex edits — the cost of a rough animatic is dwarfed by the cost of fixing pacing in post.
9. Send the actual script, not the deck version
The marketing deck has been polished into oblivion. The shooting script (or treatment) tells me what's actually happening shot-to-shot, which is what I need.
10. The storyboard is for the crew, not the client
Some boards have to look pitch-perfect for client sign-off — fair enough. But if you only optimise for "the client likes it," you'll get a beautiful board that doesn't help the DOP frame anything. Both audiences matter.
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